Van Den Broek to sound out US on stability pact

Date: 25/04/1996

SEEKING concerted EU and American strategies on Bosnia, Russia and the Middle East, Foreign Affairs Commissioner Hans van den Broek will travel to Washington next month for meetings with American policy- and law-makers.

On 1-2 May, Van Den Broek will meet Secretary of State Warren Christopher, National Security Advisor Anthony Lake and members of Congress.

One of the Commissioner's tasks will be to brief members of the Clinton administration on the progress of moves towards the Union's expansion into Central and Eastern Europe.

As the Union forges a new policy for the Balkan region, Washington is considering joining in the European plan for a stability pact.

“The US is interested in a Balkan initiative,” said a US diplomat. “We are hearing the EU ideas on it now and we would like to work together.”

While US officials agree with the Commission that re-establishing patterns of trade and cooperation across the Balkans is the right idea, they put more emphasis on demanding immediate political signals from Serb factions.

Ignoring EU moves, Washington has not upgraded its ties with Belgrade and officials say it will not happen soon.

Commission officials stress that even in areas where the Union apparently acts alone, it needs to consult Washington. For example, before the EU offers trade concessions to Balkan countries, it must be sure they will be acceptable to the World Trade Organisation. “That's where the Americans come in,” said one official.

Bosnia's reconstruction will be high on the visit agenda. Van Den Broek will meet World Bank President James Wolfensohn, his co-chairman for international efforts to rebuild the war-torn region, to discuss how to implement this year's projects and when to start fund-raising for 1997's needs. “We need ongoing coordination on the priority projects,” said a Van Den Broek aide.

The two must also coordinate troop movements of the NATO peace implementation force (IFOR) in Bosnia. Although US President Bill Clinton and EU officials have been saying they would bring their troops home by Christmas, NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana hinted this week that might not happen and left the door open for extending the stay of the 60,000-strong force.

Regarding Russia, where June presidential elections are casting doubt over future relations with Moscow, Van Den Broek will have much to discuss with his American interlocutors. Both the EU and Washington tacitly support President Boris Yeltsin in his bid for re-election and would need to do some serious rethinking, as Clinton put it this week, if Yeltsin were to lose the presidency to Communist forces.

Recent European and American efforts to reconcile the Israeli and Lebanese governments and halt the current Middle East crisis will also certainly be a topic for Van Den Broek and Christopher.

The EU is seeking a higher profile in the Middle East. Italian Foreign Minister Susanna Agnelli said this week she thought the US would need some help in resolving the dispute - although Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres said he would prefer to talk to Christopher.

While Washington may lead efforts in the Middle East, most European analysts say the Union and the US must share responsibility for the shape of things to come in Russia and in the Balkans.

Van Den Broek aides say that is their goal for the Commissioner's trek next month. “You need a joint effort from the Europeans and the Americans to make the whole thing work,” said one.